Arej: In 1948, 150,000 remained in the cities and villages inside, and today they exceed 2.1 million people.

Lawyer Medhat Diba: Annexation means implementing the Deal of the Century, which is the dream of Israeli ministers and every extremist Knesset member

Dr. Fawzi Al-Badawi: Israel is seriously seeking to annex and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state based on purely religious motives

Abdullah Abu Rahma: Implementing the West Bank annexation plan will lead to radical changes in all aspects of life

Suhail Khaliliya: Annexation may mean racist self-rule for settlers that threatens the existence of Palestinians in the West Bank

Faraj Shalhoub: "Imposing sovereignty" has become more serious than ever before, and the coming days will witness practical measures

The media department of the National Popular Conference for Jerusalem prepared a detailed report on the Israeli annexation plan for the West Bank, and the dimensions and risks of this if implemented. The speakers agreed that the occupation state's goal in implementing this plan is to kill the peace process and bury it forever, and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state on national soil despite the international community's objections. It is noteworthy that these plans aim to control about 70% of the West Bank lands, which will directly affect various aspects of life there.

Attempting to monopolize the West Bank and pass a settlement agenda there

Lawyer Medhat Diba said: Annexing the West Bank is the dream of every Israeli minister and every extremist Knesset member.

He added: In fact, there is complete Israeli security control over Area C, noting that in 2012, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, when he was a member of the Knesset, proposed applying Israeli sovereignty over Area C in a formal manner and giving legal cover to the general situation in these areas. In 2014, he sent a letter to Netanyahu requesting the annexation of large parts of the settlements in the West Bank to Israel, most notably Ma'ale Adumim, Alfei Menashe, and Gush Etzion. Today, most members of the Knesset are demanding the annexation of the entire West Bank to Israeli sovereignty in order to completely eliminate the dream of a two-state solution and bury the peace process forever.

There is also a demand to declare Israeli civil law in the West Bank completely, as happened in the application of this law in the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem. What is currently being proposed is complete control over the West Bank without allowing Palestinians the right to vote, i.e. keeping their status ambiguous without citizenship, which keeps the crime of displacement in place.

He pointed out that the extremist parties exploited the current situation in Gaza and Jerusalem and are trying to monopolize the West Bank and pass a settlement agenda there, as the extremist Minister Smotrich declared on 11-11-2024 his intention to lead an initiative aimed at extending control over the West Bank areas.

Implementing the Deal of the Century

According to Attorney Dibeh, annexing the West Bank means Israel will unilaterally implement the Deal of the Century that Trump brought, and this is clear from Netanyahu’s statements that starting from 7/1/2024 he will begin to establish Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank and annex it to Israel.

He continued: There is a problem regarding the fate of two million Palestinian residents and citizens in the West Bank. Will they be granted Israeli residency, or will they be placed in isolated areas in preparation for their expulsion to Jordan? Pointing out that according to Israeli law, relinquishing areas or lands to which Israeli law applies requires a popular referendum, or a majority of 80 Knesset members.

He stressed that the idea of annexing the West Bank aims to bury the peace process forever and prevent the return of the West Bank to the Palestinians, except through a popular referendum or a majority in the Knesset, both of which are impossible to implement. Despite the Jordanians and the free world’s rejection of the annexation idea, Israel will proceed with this process due to the American support it enjoys, especially since Trump is the one who proposed the idea by annexing major settlements such as “Ma’ale Adumim,” “Gush Etzion,” and “Beitar Illit.”

Israel is working to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state

In this context, Dr. Fawzi Al-Badawi, Professor of Religious Studies and Comparative Religions at the Tunisian University, whose speech was monitored on more than one website and podcast, said: Israel is seriously seeking to annex the West Bank and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, based on purely religious motives, as it claims that the events of the Torah took place in the West Bank, and a large part of the history of Isaac, Abraham, Jacob, and the First, Second, and Third Temples also took place in the West Bank, and it is a fundamental issue in the Jewish religious imagination, stressing that the real conflict in the near future will be over the West Bank.

He added: This was clear since the setback of 1967, when the religious and ideological aspects appeared in Israel and what is called the “religious awakening,” and this deepened in the Torah schools that were established for this purpose, where it was reflected in the public political and party space and the Knesset, until this “awakening” reached the center of government in Israel.

He said: The conflict cannot be resolved at the current stage because it takes on a religious and ideological dimension, as Netanyahu came from a racist religious reference based on denying the other and not recognizing his existence.

Al-Badawi added: The Haim Jabotinsky school is the one from which Netanyahu, Smotrich, Ben-Gvir and others descend.

The followers of the "Gush Emunim" school, founded by Rabbi Abraham Kook, believe that the land of Israel must be settled, in addition to the fact that Judaism considers the West Bank a misleading name, and it is under the British Mandate and Hashemite guardianship, and they call it "Judea and Samaria", referring to what Ben Gurion said that the borders of Israel are where the Israeli soldier stops, and that the establishment of the Jewish state is a small part of the Zionist project.

Control over more than 70% of the West Bank

In the same context, the Director General of the Popular Action Department in the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, Abdullah Abu Rahma, confirms that implementing the Israeli annexation plan for the West Bank will lead to radical changes in all aspects of life, which makes talk about its repercussions go beyond the economic dimension to include social, political and geographical effects.

Abu Rahma explains that the annexation will include control over more than 70% of the Palestinian lands in the West Bank, which will lead to serious repercussions on all levels.

According to Abu Rahma, the annexation will lead to a complete paralysis of economic life, as Israeli control over the lands will directly affect the income of citizens, especially farmers, as the effects will include agricultural lands, tree fields, and pastures.

Abu Rahma points out that farmers who depend on growing crops and raising livestock will face great difficulties as a result of land confiscation and being prevented from accessing the fields.

He points out that Israeli control will increase restrictions on movement and travel, which will complicate the process of accessing local and international markets, and thus significantly reduce economic activity.

Social impacts

Socially, the annexation will isolate many areas and population centers from each other, and will restrict life and services in general.

Abu Rahma explains that setting up barriers and gates and spreading tunnels and bridges will restrict the movement of citizens, which will hinder communication between Palestinian villages and cities.

He points out that this isolation will directly affect social relations, including family occasions, joys and sad occasions, as it will become difficult to move between different areas.

Abu Rahma cites the experience of building the apartheid wall, which led to the rupture of relations between the people of the West Bank and Jerusalem, and the restrictions on the people of the West Bank and their access to the interior, where family visits became an extremely complicated matter.

Complexity of everyday life

According to Abu Rahma, implementing the annexation will complicate the daily lives of citizens, and students will be affected in reaching their universities, workers in reaching their workplaces, and even farmers in reaching their lands.

Abu Rahma also explains that it will become more difficult to access places of worship, and these restrictions will create a stifling environment that prevents normal life in the West Bank.

Undermining the two-state solution

Implementing the annexation plan means the impossibility of establishing a Palestinian state with sovereignty and geographical contiguity, according to what Abu Rahma confirms, noting that the annexation will turn the West Bank into separate cantons, which will return the Palestinians to the conditions of the occupation before the Oslo Accords and before the first popular uprising, but in a more severe manner.

Abu Rahma points out that this plan will re-impose full occupation on the West Bank with stricter restrictions on movement and travel, which means the return of absolute Israeli control and the consolidation of the occupation in all Palestinian territories.

Targeted areas: Priority is given to the Jordan Valley and Area C.

Abu Rahma explains that the areas classified as (C) are the most vulnerable to the direct effects of annexation, especially the eastern slopes extending from Tubas to Adh Dhahiriya, south of Hebron, in addition to the Jordan Valley region.

The spokesman confirms that the Jordan Valley is a strategic target for the occupation for several reasons, including the low Palestinian population density, the fertility of its lands, its richness in water resources, and its suitable climate that makes its agricultural products desirable in local and global markets, which makes the Jordan Valley a target for settlement ambitions.

Abu Rahma points out that the Jordan Valley is distinguished by being the longest area connected to the Jordanian border, which gives it special security importance for the occupation, which seeks to control it completely.

Roads and settlements

Abu Rahma addresses the importance of strategic roads for the occupation, such as the Trans-Samaria Highway, Highway 443, Highway 60, Highway 90, and Allon Highway.

Abu Rahma explains that the villages and areas close to these roads or settlements and outposts will be the most affected by the annexation, noting that the areas adjacent to the apartheid wall will face additional challenges, as the movement of Palestinians will become confined to narrow areas.

Back to the Annexation Plan: Consolidating the Occupation

Although the annexation plan was thwarted in 2019-2020, Abu Rahma asserts that this was political, but the occupation did not abandon its plans.

He explains that the settlers have intensified their steps to expand control over Palestinian lands, by establishing new settlement outposts, demolishing Palestinian homes, imposing fines, and confiscating land.

Abu Rahma stresses that these measures serve the interests of achieving gradual annexation, through which the occupation seeks to consolidate complete control over the Palestinian territories.

Risk of displacement..

Abu Rahma asserts that the annexation plan is in line with the vision of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who presents limited options to the Palestinians: either leave, die, or accept to live as slaves and servants under the occupation.

He warns that if the annexation plan is implemented, it will lead to a complete paralysis of Palestinian life, and will force the Palestinians to live under stifling conditions that will make resistance and survival extremely difficult.

A call for local and international confrontation.

In the face of this plan, Abu Rahma stresses the importance of concerted Palestinian efforts at the local and international levels to prevent the implementation of the annexation.

He said: The Palestinians will continue their struggle to confront the Israeli plans and protect their national and human rights, but that does not exempt the international community from its responsibilities to prevent what the occupation is doing.

What is meant by extending sovereignty?

In this regard, Suhail Khaliliya, a specialist in settlement affairs, says: What is meant by extending sovereignty is placing large parts of the land and population under the authority of the Israeli administration by annexing Area C, which is estimated to constitute about 60% of the total area of the West Bank, suggesting that in this case, about 40% of the Area C will be annexed.

Khaliliya stressed that attempts to Judaize the Palestinian territories by expelling and displacing Palestinian communities from Area C, including the Jordan Valley and Bedouin communities in southern Hebron and other areas, especially those behind the apartheid wall, have been ongoing for many years.

He said: “Extending control next year may also mean independent self-rule for the settlers, turning them into a state within the State of Israel, with its own racist laws and systems, to attack the Palestinians in the West Bank and divide it into cantons. In this case, Israel will be rid of being an occupying state, leaving the conflict between the settlers and Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. This ‘combination’ will certainly not save the occupying state at all, because the settlers are subordinate to it, armed with its weapons, and protected by it militarily and security-wise.”

He added: From here I say clearly that this plan is the result of a scheme that was developed by successive Israeli governments and adopted by one government after another, until the time came to implement it through the current absolute right-wing government, noting that "Smotrich does not speak from thin air, but rather speaks in the name of the government and the parties that make it up."

The plan was completed after the number of settlers increased in the West Bank

Khaliliya continued: This plan was completed after the number of settlers in the West Bank increased, as well as the terrifying settlement expansion operations, which were specifically concentrated in the settlements of Bethlehem and the settlements east and north of occupied Jerusalem, reaching the outskirts of the city of Jericho, in addition to expanding the bypass roads and paving one road network for the settlers, and another for the Palestinian citizens in the context of completely isolating them, and within the framework of the policy of undermining and weakening the Palestinian Authority. This policy has been in place for 15 years, that is, half the life of the Oslo Accords, and if this indicates anything, it indicates the Israeli occupation’s premeditated intention against the Authority and against the existence of the Palestinians in general.

Khaliliya pointed out that "in the midst of this plan, a security force will be established for the settlers after arming them by an official decision, as in 2008, military training centers were opened in many settlements, especially in "Beitar Illit" and "Ariel", and security fences were erected around these settlements to turn them into combat fortresses that quickly launch wars and massacres against Palestinian communities."

Strengthening the Israeli presence in the West Bank to impose full sovereignty

For his part, writer and political analyst Faraj Shalhoub warned that the issue of “imposing sovereignty” on the West Bank has become more serious than ever, especially in light of the presence of a right-wing American administration led by Trump, stressing at the same time that the coming days will witness practical measures in this context.

Shalhoub said in a study he prepared on this matter: “It is clear that one of the most important files that Netanyahu is working on now, especially after Donald Trump’s victory in the US elections, is the issue of strengthening the Israeli presence in the West Bank, leading to the imposition of full sovereignty there.”

He pointed out that "it is not clear what the final formula that can be imposed in the West Bank in favor of the Israeli occupation is, but there is determination, confirmation and practical effort by the right-wing Israeli government against the backdrop of Trump's victory in the new US administration to impose Israeli sovereignty."

Shalhoub stressed that the Israeli right is seeking to make 2025 the year of imposing sovereignty in the West Bank, meaning implementing some, if not many, of the Talmudic visions of this right in the West Bank, on the basis of annexing it, and perhaps Netanyahu will receive, and this is what he expects and aspires to, clear and explicit support from the Trump administration to allow the annexation of the West Bank similar to what happened in the Golan Heights during Trump’s first term, as well as moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, and considering it the eternal capital of Israel.

Shalhoub said: It seems that the current stage is moving towards crystallizing an American position that strengthens and supports the imposition of Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank.

"Areej" issues a study on the matter...

The Applied Research Institute (ARIJ) has issued a study on the conditions of the Palestinian territories since the year of the Nakba, a term used by the Syrian historian Constantine Zureiq to describe the Arab states’ acceptance of the truce, where he wrote expressively: “This is a Nakba in the full sense of the word.” Since then, it has become the term by which Palestinians refer to the day on which the establishment of the Israeli occupation state was declared on 78% of the lands of Mandatory Palestine on May 15, 1948.

The Nakba at that time constituted an ethnic cleansing operation during which approximately 800,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced, out of the total population of Palestine at the time (1.4 million), to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and neighboring Arab countries.

At that time, the occupation gangs established a state on 78 percent of the area of historical Palestine, which is approximately 27 thousand square kilometers, and on the ruins of 531 out of 774 Palestinian villages and cities. This state began its beginning by violating international law and UN Resolution 181, and committing more than 70 massacres against the Palestinians, in which approximately 15 thousand Palestinians were martyred, and about 3,500 thousand Arabs who came to support the Palestinians.

According to the ARIJ study, “Despite the destruction, killing and displacement, about 150,000 Palestinians remained in Palestinian cities and villages in the territories occupied by Israel in 1948, and their numbers doubled despite all the arbitrary measures practiced by the occupation regarding laws, regulations, building permits and social rights, so that their population today exceeds 2.1 million people at the beginning of 2024.”